Epson R1800 Printer Problem

I have calibrated my LCD monitor (with Spyder) and set everything the way Tim Gray's book and the Epson manual say to. I dont' think I have any color managing conflicts. Yet, I still get cleaner, more detailed prints from my old $100 Stylus 925. What am I doing wrong? Also, the preview is contrasty and blown out. Is this normal?

I don't have an answer, but would ask if you are using Epson papers and inks? I never have gone the calibation route and simply used the Epson Print Utility. My prints are sharper than my Epson 870 PS (maybe not that big a deal) and noticeably sharper than an R2400 I've compared same file to.

Stew

I have an Epson 2200 and when I first started using this printer I bought some Illford Pearl Paper and used their profile that goes with the paper and I was not happy with the colors and tones I was getting from this setup. So, I bought a custom profile from http://www.cathysprofiles.com and my prints have been perfect ever since. And the profile was not expensive. I believe it was about $40. So, if you are using the correct profiles with the paper you are using and you are still not happy with the results, and if you are certain that PS is setup correctly, then I believe a custom profile may be the answer. Good luck.

The Epson preview is really just a check that the image fits on the paper; it isn't designed for soft-proofing. You need to do the soft-proofing in Photoshop.

You don't say what paper you are printing with. In my experience, the R1800 produces good prints on premium gloss paper. I've never been happy with its performance on matte papers, though.

I have real trouble keeping my Epson R1800 calibrated. Now, I am not a printing expert and haven't had time to really learn the process thoroughly but I find the Epson R1800 almost impossible to calibrate following Epson's and Tim Grey's directions, too.

I need help...professional help...and I'm not afraid to admit it.

oldsquawk wrote:I have real trouble keeping my Epson R1800 calibrated. Now, I am not a printing expert and haven't had time to really learn the process thoroughly but I find the Epson R1800 almost impossible to calibrate following Epson's and Tim Grey's directions, too.

I need help...professional help...and I'm not afraid to admit it.

I think you may find a custom profile useful. I have a 2200 so it is not the same printer but once I purchased this profile, I have had no further problems.

Pat

lynnscho, we should be able to help you get to the bottom of this, but we need some more info.

Some questions for you:

1. which paper are you using?

2. which application are you printing from? Photoshop?

3. can you please post the _exact_ settings in your application and in the Epson driver that you are using? be as specific as you can; if at all possible, it may be best/easiest to take screenshots of your setup and post them to the forum so that we can check

Eric

p.s. ignore the Print Preview, esp. the one in the Epson driver -- it's not color-managed and doesn't give you an accurate preview of what you should be getting

I am also having real headaches with my Epson R1800 and will be following this discussion closely. It seemed ok before I left town and let it sit for several months. I've cleaned the heads and the color check printout looks fine and I, too, am using premium epson semigloss paper but the images are washed out and fakey looking. So I will listen in here if no one minds.

If you haven't used your printer for several months (or even several weeks), I would recommend that you remove each cartridge from the printer and shake it gently four or fives times side to side, then put it back in. This will help to ensure proper ink flow. In general, however, we need more specific information about your setup in order to determine what could be going wrong.

Eric,
Thank you for your comments. It is not my intent to hijack this thread from Lynn but help with my problem may help Lynn and all others who are having problems as well. I will do as you suggested. As far as "more specific information" I am not sure what you might need. I had previously used Spyder calibration but tried to switch over to one of the newer systems last fall and found that my video card would not permit the calibration with the new system which I returned. Since I was considering getting a new computer and monitor I have held off on the calibration system. I have a Dell Dimension 8200 and a Lacie Electron Blue 22 CRT monitor and use PS CS for my photo work and print preparation. Nevertheless I did get nice prints before I left using the same semi gloss paper and what I get now is not calibration-related in my mind but something else. So if there are specific questions fire away and in the meantime I will start agitating my printer cartridges.

What Eric said is exactly what I had to do when I left my R1800 sit idle for several months. I've always thought the R1800 (when it's functioning correctly) produced superior prints on Epson Premium Luster.I got essentially the same results on InkJetArt's Ceramic luster. I prefer luster over gloss for display prints. I'd choose another printer entirely if I made mostly matte prints. I have made some successful prints on matte paper but other printers (the Epson 3800 in my case) do better.

Joseph, Stew and Eric,
I use only Epson papers and inks, almost exclusively premium glossy, occasionally luster. I print from Photoshop. I've been over and over the settings and I'm pretty sure they are correct. I was in contact with Epson, but they weren't much help. I am, it should be noted, using Vista, since I bought a new system recently. I was having the exact same trouble with XP, so I don't think that's a consideration.

I'd just stick with the old 925, but it doesn't print 13x19 - which is primarily what I bought the R1800 for. Hmph.

Hmm, can you clarify what you mean in your original post by "cleaner, more detailed"? In what way are your R1800 prints not "clean"? Are the tones muddy? Colors muddy?

lynnscho, I may be giving you information that you already know, but FWIW, here are screenshots of my settings on my Epson R1800. I usually use Cathy's Profile for Epson's premium glossy (now known as "Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Glossy" - a real mouthfull!). The point is, and there are many threads on the web to help with your settings, I use these settings successfully because a) I have turned down the brightness on my Dell 19" LCD so as to not get prints that are too dark (One is not supposed to mess with the brightness on this particular monitor so I've read, but it seems to work for me) and b) I print mostly glossy so my investment in Cathy's Profiles was worth it to me. Whatever the case, check the profiles you have from Epson (in CS2 file>print with preview>printer profile. Select the proper profile from the drop down/up list) and, if what you think you should have is not there, download it from the Epson site. Please forgive me if this is too basic for you but I'm just trying to help.
Mike Stolting

Mike,
I keep reading in this thread about Cathy's Profiles. Is this a must-have item? Also, I have upgraded to CS3 - the "print with preview" is no longer an option, it's apparently automatic now.

Thank you for your information, I will double check my settings against the ones you sent.
Lynn

Eric,
You asked what I meant about "cleaner and more detailed". If I put a print from the 925 next to one from the 1800, it looks like somebody put water in the ink, it looks washy and faded. So you don't see the finer details I'm seeing in the other print. It doesn't "kick". That help?
Lynn

"Mike,
I keep reading in this thread about Cathy's Profiles. Is this a must-have item?"

Lynn, The short answer is no.

I just was not satisfied with the: a) too dark prints I was getting (now more or less worked out by lowering the brightness on my LCD monitor), and b) colors that did not seem as "punchy" as what I'd been getting on my old 1270 (probably due more to the nature of the difference between dye based versus pigment based inks than of the calibration of equipment).

In any case, I do not regret having purchased Cathy's Profile for glossy paper. It showed me what can be expected from my printer and I've been happy with the results. One must be fastidious in following the directions/instructions from Cathy's site when setting up to make the test sheets but that's a given when dealing with calibration issues.

I hope this helps.

Mike Stolting

MIKE:
Thanks so much for your detailed screen shots. I think I've got it, at least the one I just printed looks pretty sensational to me.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

Lynn

Excellent ...